Muse stars with career-high 47 saves in come-from-behind shootout win, 4-3

January 20, 2018, 6:56 pm

≫ Next: Game 42 Preview: Brampton at Reading

≪ Previous: Game 41 Preview: Brampton at Reading

Reading, PA – Reading Royals forward Brian Morgan tied the game early in the third, Michael Huntebrinker scored the winner in the shootout and John Muse made a professional-high 47 saves to boost the Royals to a 4-3 victory over the Brampton Beast Saturday at Santander Arena.

Huntebrinker and Nick Luukko scored in the shootout and Muse made two stops to end the skills competition a round early. Chris Leveille missed the net on Brampton’s final shootout attempt. Muse made a low save on Cody Donaghey to begin the shootout.

In the second, third and overtime frames, the seventh-year professional Muse made 36 saves on 37 shots. He kicked aside three shots in overtime. The native of East Falmouth, MA is 8-1-0-0 with a 1.87 goals against average and .945 save percentage since returning from Lehigh Valley on Dec. 27. Andrew D’Agostini allowed two shootout goals and denied 31 shots in defeat.

The Royals drew 5,720 fans, the second-biggest crowd of the campaign at Santander Arena. The Royals helped raise money for pediatric cancer on THON Night.

Box Score

The Royals scored the first two goals in the opening 5:55. Derek Whitmore sniped his sixth of the season on a turnover by Brampton. Matt Willows (2a) flung it from the right circle to the slot for Whitmore, who slammed it to the top shelf at 3:42.

Next, Wilkins fell to one knee but maintained possession. He tossed to de Haas at the right point. The rookie was wide open, walked to the right circle and delivered it to the top of the left shelf and in for his second of the season. Willows had the secondary assist at 5:55 of the first.

Scott Jacklin and Vincent Dunn helped equalize on goals separated by 1:43. Dunn tied the game at two with 7:59 to go in the first on a shot from the left post. He snuck it by Muse.

Brampton’s Daniel Ciampini scored the go-ahead goal to the top right shelf at 3:05 of the second to make it 3-2 Beast. David Ling and Paul Cianfrini earned the assists.

Reading tied the game at 2:08 of the third. Morgan received the puck from Zajac and Mark Bennett had the secondary assist on the shot that came low and to the right post.

Both teams had power plays in overtime. Reading was 1-for-4 on the man up and is 3-for-9 on the power play over the last games. Brampton went 0-for-2 on power-play chances.

The Reading Royals finish up the weekend with a rematch against the Beast Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Any fan that wears Eagles or Royals gear to Sunday’s game receives a free ticket to Reading’s game next Wed., Jan. 24 at 7:00 p.m. against Toledo. Season ticket holders will get a free ticket in their section to next Wednesday’s game.

Meet a bunch of local mascots at Sunday’s contest with Mascot Mania on Slapshot’s Birthday. Plus, it’s $5 Green Zone tickets and a 4 for $44 Family Day, presented by Safe Berks, Berks Packing and Coca-Cola. At a postgame autograph session, kids will receive an autographed book (first 1,000 kids 14 and under) courtesy of Prospectus Berco & M.P. Butterworth and Associates.

Mascot Mania, 4 for $44 Family Day and $5 Green Zone Tickets Jan. 21
Sun., Jan 21 vs BRM at 3 p.m.: Slapshot’s Birthday/ Mascot Mania. 4 for $44 Family Days presented by Safe Berks, Berks Packing and Coca-Cola. Postgame Autograph session, and kids will receive an autograph book (first 1,000 kids 14 and Under) courtesy of Prospectus Berco & M.P. Butterworth and Associates.

$5 Green Zone Tickets and postgame player photo and autograph session Wed., Jan. 24 vs. Toledo
Wed., Jan 24 vs TOL at 7 p.m. Postgame photo and autograph session with four players. Thanks to Rieck’s Printing.

About the Royals
The Royals have been owned by serial entrepreneur Jack Gulati since 2014 and are in their 17^th ECHL season. Proudly affiliated with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Reading plays in the Santander Arena, located in downtown Reading, PA at 700 Penn Street. The Royals won the Kelly Cup in 2013, have made the playoffs in eight straight seasons and are four-time division champions.

Reading Royals Mobile App
Head to the App Store and Google Play to download the new Reading Royals app on your smartphone! Stay up-to-date with team news, receive notifications and purchase tickets for your next experience at Santander Arena.

Broadcast Coverage
All Royals game can be heard on Rumba 1340 AM and the iHeartRadio app by searching “Rumba 1340”. The pregame show starts 15 minutes before puck drop. Watch Royals games on ECHL.tv. Reading away games are shown locally on BCTV, channel 15 Comcast, channel 19 Service Electric.

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Game 42 Preview: Brampton at Reading

January 21, 2018, 5:30 am

≫ Next: Beast silence Royals with three in the second, 5-2

≪ Previous: Muse stars with career-high 47 saves in come-from-behind shootout win, 4-3

Wear Eagles or Royals gear and get a free ticket to Reading’s next home game

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (22-17-2-0, 46 pts., 4th North) are coming off a come-from-behind 4-3 shootout victory against the Brampton Beast (16-17-1-3, 36 pts., 5th North) and finish up the weekend with a rematch Sunday at 3:00 p.m. from Santander Arena. Any fan that wears Eagles or Royals gear to Sunday’s game receives a free ticket to Reading’s game next Wed., Jan. 24 at 7:00 p.m. against Toledo. Season ticket holders will get a free ticket in their section to next Wednesday’s game.

Saturday, 5,720 fans watched Reading defeat Brampton in a shootout, 4-3. John Muse made a professional-high 47 saves. The series is tied, 2-2, and the Royals have won the last two matchups.

The Royals are a point behind Wheeling and Adirondack for second in the North Division.

Muse’s dominance
John Muse is 8-1-0-0 since returning from Lehigh Valley on Dec. 27 with a with a 1.87 goals against average and .945 save percentage. Saturday’s win (47 saves, professional high) boosted him to a 14-4-1-0 record, 2.20 GAA and .934 save percentage.

He has made nine starts in the last 12 games. Prior to Saturday, he had never made more than 43 saves in any of his 233 professional starts.

The native of East Falmouth, MA is 11-2-0-0 in 13 home games. The Royals have scored 3.69 goals a game to support him in contests at Santander Arena.

Morgan finds place in lineup
Brian Morgan scored his fifth goal of the season to tie the game early in the third at three Saturday vs. Brampton. A first-year forward, Morgan has played in 18 straight games since the Royals signed him in December. He has tallied nine points. His top ECHL effort is a three-point game (1g, 2a) against Adirondack on Dec. 30.

He started the season in Pensacola and had six goals and 12 points. After graduating from Maine in 2015-16, Morgan spent his graduate transfer season at UConn in 2016-17.

Last Time Out
Brian Morgan tied the game early in the third, Michael Huntebrinker scored the winner in the shootout and John Muse made a professional-high 47 saves to boost the Royals to a 4-3 victory over the Brampton Beast Saturday at Santander Arena.

In the second, third and overtime frames, the seventh-year professional Muse made 36 saves on 37 shots. He kicked aside three shots in overtime. Andrew D’Agostini allowed two shootout goals and denied 31 shots in defeat.

Better make the home dates count
The Royals play the middle game of a three-game home stand Sunday and Reading possesses a division-best 15-7-0-0 home record. After today’s contest, they are home to Toledo on Wednesday before starting a six-game road trip.

Reading leaves for the trip on Fri., Jan. 26 and does not return home until the early hours of Super Bowl Sunday (Sun., Feb. 4). The Royals have three games in six days, traveling around the area to Wheeling, Brampton and Adirondack. Immediately following the game against the Thunder on Tues., Jan. 30, the Royals venture south to Norfolk, VA for a pair of games against the Admirals.

Next, the team enjoys a day in Reading before another 300-mile bus trip to Worcester.

Here we are at 24
The Royals end their stretch of 24 straight games against a North Division rival Sunday and Reading is 12-10-1-0 through the first 23. The Royals play their first game outside the division in more than a month vs. Toledo on Wed., Jan. 24. Reading was third in the North (10-7-1-0) when the stretch began and the Royals are fourth in the North but a point back of second entering Sunday’s game.

The Royals haven’t played a game against a cross-division opponent since Nov. 29 at Cincinnati. Over the 23 games, the Royals have gone 4-2-0-0 against Worcester and 3-1-1-0 vs. Wheeling.

Since the stretch began, Matt Willows leads the team with 13 assists and 20 points (7g). Michael Huntebrinker is best on the Royals with 10 goals (15 points).

Head-to-head matchups
Many of Reading’s top performing skaters against the Beast have been called up to the AHL. Alex Krushelnyski (2g vs. BRM), Steven Swavely (2g) and Chris McCarthy (1g) are all in Lehigh Valley. Ryan Penny (1g) signed a PTO with Binghamton earlier this month.

Without these pieces, Matt Willows leads the Royals with a goal and three points in the series. Michael Huntebrinker has a goal and two points.

John Muse has allowed eight goals in three games against Brampton (2-1-0-0 record). Mark Dekanich made 30 saves (5 GA) in a loss Nov. 19. Beast goalie Andrew D’Agostini is 0-1-0-1 against Reading and allowed six goals.

Alex Foster (3g) leads the Beast in goals against the Royals.

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Beast silence Royals with three in the second, 5-2

January 21, 2018, 2:35 pm

≫ Next: Weekly Release, Vol. 17, No. 14:

≪ Previous: Game 42 Preview: Brampton at Reading

Reading, PA – Frank Hora scored his first professional goal, but the Brampton Beast registered three goals in the second period and veered past the Reading Royals, 5-2, Sunday at Santander Arena. Mark Bennett (1g, 1a) also recorded his first Royals goal to cut the Beast edge to two with 5:34 remaining in the game.

Hora has played in 35 games and is best among active Royals players with a plus-11 rating.

Willie Corrin scored a pair of goals in the second, giving the Beast a 3-1 lead with 5:51 to go in the frame. His second goal was a tap-in strike at the left post. Brandon MacLean had the other goal in the second to give Brampton the edge for good, 2-1, at 7:25 of the second. Corrin (PPG) and MacLean scored Brampton’s first two goals in a span of 1:07.

Reading had 16 shots in the third and beat Zach Fucale once (win, 35 saves). Brandon Marino scored an empty-net goal with 61 seconds to go to end the comeback attempt. Mark Dekanich allowed four goals on 38 shots.

Before embarking on a six-game road trip, the Royals are home to the Toledo Walleye this Wed., Jan. 24 at 7:00 p.m. with $5 tickets.

Box Score

Hora received a fortunate bounce for his first goal at 11:29 of the first. He shot it from the top of the right circle, it struck off of Fucale’s midsection and defenseman Reggie Traccitto accidentally kicked the rebound into his own net. Matt Wilkins and Bennett assisted.

The Beast ripped a pair of quick goals to take the lead in the middle portions of the second. First, Corrin slapped one in from the left point on the power play at 6:18 of the frame. Next, MacLean nicked it past Dekanich a little more than a minute later. Corrin scored the game-winning goal at 14:09 of the second.

David Ling gave the Beast a 4-1 edge on an even-strength goal at 12:11 of the third.

Bennett gave the Royals life and made it a two-goal deficit three minutes later. He received a pass from Matt Willows off the face-off at the left circle and slammed a backhanded shot in.

The Royals were 0-for-4 on the power play. Brampton scored their first goal in the series on the man up (1-for-3).

$5 Green Zone Tickets and postgame player photo and autograph session Wed., Jan. 24 vs. Toledo
Wed., Jan 24 vs TOL at 7:00 p.m. Postgame photo and autograph session with four players (Rieck’s Printing).

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Weekly Release, Vol. 17, No. 14:

January 22, 2018, 2:40 pm

≫ Next: Game 43 Preview: Toledo at Reading

≪ Previous: Beast silence Royals with three in the second, 5-2

Home game Wednesday vs. Toledo then road trip

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals have the most home wins (15) of any team in the Eastern Conference and are at Santander Arena Wednesday against Toledo before six straight road contests.

Reading won two straight games before suffering a loss to Brampton on Sunday, 5-2. Mark Bennett had his first Royals goal and multi-point game (1g, 1a) in the last game. Reading is 15-8-0-0 at home.

John Muse leads the ECHL with a .934 save percentage and is 9-1-0-0 over his last ten games. Muse is fourth in the league with a 2.20 goals against average. In his last start, he made a professional-high 47 saves and the Royals blew past Brampton in a shootout, 4-3.

The Royals have three games this week – vs. Toledo Wednesday, at Wheeling on Friday and at Brampton on Sunday.

Following the six-game road trip, the Royals have one of its largest weekends of the season Feb. 16-18. The games include Hockey ‘N Heels on Feb. 16, Pink In The Rink Night Feb. 17 and Battle of the Badges on Feb. 18.

Upcoming Home Games
$5 Green Zone Tickets and postgame player photo and autograph session Wed., Jan. 24 vs. Toledo
Wed., Jan 24 vs TOL at 7:00 p.m. Postgame photo and autograph session with four players (Rieck’s Printing).

Hockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

Pink in the Rink, Pink Ice, special jerseys on Sat., Feb 17 vs BRM at 7:00 p.m.
Pink knit scarf giveaway to the first 1,500 women, courtesy of Sweet Street Desserts. The Royals will wear special jerseys and play on pink ice.

Battle of the Badges, Faith and Family and Jerry “The King” Lawler on Sun., Feb 18 vs. WHL at 4:00 p.m.
Before the Royals drop the puck with the Nailers, the Reading Police and Fire Departments match up against the Allentown Police and Fire at 12:30 p.m. in the Battle for the FirstStates Cup XIII at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are available here to help raise money for the children of policemen and firefighters.

Meet WWE Hall-of-Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler on Pro Wrestling Night (Tower Health). Plus, it’s Faith and Family Night and dollar dog day, presented by Safe Berks, Berks Packing and Coca-Cola. First 1,000 kids (14 & under) will receive a Slapshot T-shirt thanks to Bethany Children’s Home. Also check out a postgame skate presented by Body Zone.

Call 610-898-PUCK or visit royalshockey.com/tickets to start your experience at Santander Arena. Group tickets are $11 for groups of ten or more.

Team Leaders (Active players)
Goals: Matt Willows/Michael Huntebrinker (13), Nolan Zajac (9)
Assists: Matt Willows (24), Nolan Zajac (15), Nick Luukko (13)
Points: Matt Willows (37), Nolan Zajac (24), Michael Huntebrinker (21)
PIMs: Matt Willows (38), Jimmy DeVito (32), Matias Cleland (29)
+/-: Frank Hora (11), Michael Huntebrinker (8), Brian Morgan (5)

Practice schedule
Monday – OFF Day
Tuesday – Practice at 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday – game at 7:00 p.m. vs. TOL
Thursday – TBD
Friday – Game at 7:00 p.m. at WHL
Saturday – TRAVEL
Sunday – Game at 2:00 p.m. at BRM

This Week
Royals Radio Recon from Jimmy G’s Railroad House: Tues., Jan. 23 from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Meet defenseman James de Haas at Jimmy G’s Railroad House from 152 Woodrow Ave. in Sinking Spring. Listen on Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio app).

Game 43 vs. Toledo: Wed., Jan. 24 at 7:00 p.m.

Listen on Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio app). Watch on ECHL.tv.
$5 Green Zone Tickets and postgame autographs

Game 44 vs. Wheeling: Fri., Jan. 26 at 7:00 p.m.

Listen on Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio app). Watch ECHL.tv and BCTV.

Game 45 at Brampton: Sun., Jan. 28 at 2:00 p.m.

Listen on Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio app), Watch on ECHL.tv and BCTV.

Big 3 Storylines
3) Another big crowd

The second-largest crowd of the season (5,720) attended Star Wars, THON and Scout Night Saturday at Santander Arena and witnessed a 4-3 shootout win over Brampton. The Royals helped raise money for THON, with $5 off every ticket purchased benefitting pediatric cancer research and awareness. Last season, THON raised more than $10 million.

2) Playoff picture forming?
The Royals are eight points ahead of the Brampton Beast for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division and Reading has 34 games remaining in the regular season. The top-four squads from each division qualify for the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The Royals and Beast meet Sunday and Reading looks to even up the season series, 3-3. Six points separate first place (Manchester, 52 points) and fourth in the North.

1) Road trip looming
Reading leaves for a six-game road trip on Fri., Jan. 26 and does not return home until the early hours of Super Bowl Sunday (Sun., Feb. 4). The Royals have three games in six days, traveling around the area to Wheeling, Brampton and Adirondack. Immediately following the game against the Thunder on Tues., Jan. 30, the Royals venture south to Norfolk, VA for a pair of games against the Admirals.

Next, the team enjoys a day in Reading before another 300-mile bus trip to Worcester.
About the Royals
The Royals have been owned by serial entrepreneur Jack Gulati since 2014 and are in their 17^th ECHL season. Proudly affiliated with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Reading plays at Santander Arena, located in downtown Reading, PA at 700 Penn Street. The Royals won the Kelly Cup in 2013, have made the playoffs in eight straight seasons and are four-time division champions.

Reading Royals Mobile App

Head to the App Store and Google Play to download the new Reading Royals app on your smartphone! Stay up-to-date with team news, receive notifications and purchase tickets for your next experience at Santander Arena.

Broadcast Coverage

All Royals game can be heard on Rumba 1340 AM and the iHeartRadio app by searching “Rumba 1340”. The pregame show starts 15 minutes before puck drop. Watch Royals games on ECHL.tv. Reading away games are shown locally on BCTV.

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Game 43 Preview: Toledo at Reading

January 24, 2018, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Royals hold on for 4-3 shootout victory over Toledo

≪ Previous: Weekly Release, Vol. 17, No. 14:

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Royals hold on for 4-3 shootout victory over Toledo

January 24, 2018, 7:21 pm

≫ Next: Game 44 Preview: Reading at Wheeling

≪ Previous: Game 43 Preview: Toledo at Reading

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (23-18-2-0) defeated the Toledo Walleye (25-12-3-1), 4-3, in a shootout Wednesday at Santander Arena. John Muse improved to 9-1-0 in the last 10 games since his return to the Royals roster, stopping 32 shots in the victory. Michael Huntebrinker had the only goal in the shootout.

The Royals jumped to a 3-0 lead and maintained a two-goal advantage heading into the third period. In the final minute of regulation time the Walleye scored twice, forcing the contest into overtime. Reading swept the season series, 2-0, against Toledo.

Box Score

Rookie James de Haas has 13 points (3g, 10a) in 16 games and had two points (1g, 1a) in Wednesday’s matchup. The defenseman ripped a slap shot from the left-side blue line and beat netminder Pat Nagle, posting the first goal in the game at 18:23 of the opening frame. Michael Huntebrinker and Matt Wilkins (1g, 1a) were awarded the helpers as Wilkins continued a four-game point streak.

The Royals maintained the momentum moving into the middle frame as Nick Luukko tricked Nagle glove side through traffic with the help of a screen by Huntebrinker at 6:48. de Hass recorded his second point of the contest recording an assist along with Matt Willows who put up his twenty-fourth helper of the season.

Wilkins added to the lead on a power-play goal 11:19 into the second period. He deflected a puck that was sent in the crease by Willows from behind the net. Adam Schmidt contributed for his first point since his return from injury.

Davis Vandane put the Walleye on the board 1:54 later with a glove-side snipe past Muse. Austen Brassard and Ryan Obuchowski each got a point on the goal.

Toledo put up two quick goals within the final 58 seconds of regulation time. Brassard scored first with the extra attacker and assists came from Connor Crisp and Simon Denis. Forty-eight seconds later, Mike Borkowski found the rebound from Brassard’s shot to tie the game, 3-3, with 10.2 seconds left.

An extra session wasn’t enough to decide a winner and a shootout was in order. Huntebrinker was up first and beat Nagle on the left post. Muse stopped all three Toledo shooters to pick up two points in the 4-3 shootout win.

The Royals were outshot, 35-33, but went 1-for-2 on the power play and remained perfect on both of Toledo’s man advantages.

The Royals are on the road to begin a six-game road trip Fri., Jan. 26 against Wheeling at 7:05 p.m. Royals Pregame with starts on Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio app), RumbaReading.com and BCTV at 6:50 p.m.

At 2:00 p.m. on Sun., Jan. 28, the Royals and Beast meet in Brampton, with Royals Pregame at 1:45 p.m. on Rumba 1340 (via the iHeartRadio app), RumbaReading.com, and BCTV.

The Royals continue the road swing at Adirondack with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop on Tues., Jan. 30. Check out Royals Pregame on BCTV, Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio) and RumbaReading.com at 6:45 p.m.

Hockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

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Game 44 Preview: Reading at Wheeling

January 26, 2018, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Huntebrinker is Reading’s hero in 2-1 OT victory over Nailers

≪ Previous: Royals hold on for 4-3 shootout victory over Toledo

Royals move within a point of Wheeling with win

Wheeling, WV – The Reading Royals (23-18-2-0, 48 pts., 4th North) start a six-game road trip at the Wheeling Nailers (24-16-3-0, 51 pts., 2^nd North) Friday at 7:05 p.m. Royals Pregame coverage starts at 6:50 p.m. on RumbaReading.com, Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio) and BCTV. Listen for a chance to win a gift card to Jimmy G’s Railroad House with the Trivia Question of the Night during 1^st intermission.

Both teams have heated up the last few weeks; the Royals have won three of four games and the Nailers are on a three-game winning streak.

Wednesday, the Royals staved off Toledo for a 4-3 shootout victory. Reading’s Michael Huntebrinker had the only skills-competition goal. John Muse made 32 saves and stopped three Walleye skaters in the shootout. The Walleye scored twice in the final minute to tie the game, 3-3, and force overtime.

The Nailers blasted to a 6-2 home victory over Kalamazoo last time out. Wheeling’s Reid Gardiner scored twice and is tied for second in the league with 23 goals. He has tallied seven times in his last four games.

Reading leads the season series, 4-2-1-0. and is 1-1-0-0 at Wesbanco Arena. The Royals are four points behind Manchester for first place in the North Division.

Come check out the Royals at Santander Arena Feb. 16-18 for three straight days of fun at Santander Arena. The weekend includes Pink in the Rink, Jerry “The King” Lawler Wrestling Night, Faith and Family and the Battle of the Badges. Tickets are available at royalshockey.com/tickets or by calling 610-898-7825.

Wilkins and Willows
Linemates Matt Willows (2a last game) and Matt Wilkins (1g, 1a) have increased production since Wilkins returned from injury Jan. 6.

Willows leads the Royals with 13 goals, 26 assists and 39 points. He has generated seven assists over a four-game point streak with three multi-assist efforts. Wednesday against the Walleye, Willows attempted eight shots to remain second in the league in shots on goal (171).

Wilkins is on a season-long four-game point streak, the third-longest of his career. The second-year professional recorded a five-game point streak and a stretch of six straight games with at least a point last season. The native of Kimberly, BC has six goals and 18 points in 25 games.

Shootout club
The Royals are 2-0 in shootouts this season, going 3-for-5 on shooting attempts. Six days ago against Brampton, Michael Huntebrinker and Nick Luukko scored and John Muse shut the door twice for a two-round victory. Wednesday, Muse denied another three shots and Huntebrinker recorded the shootout-winning goal again in the top of the first round.

Until last week, the Royals hadn’t won a shootout at Santander Arena since Nov. 28, 2015.

In the previous two seasons, Reading was 2-6 in the skills competition.

Bus-y schedule
The six-game road trip is the second-longest of Reading’s season. The Royals have one full day at home, Feb. 5, before completing the six-game “roadie” at Worcester Feb. 6. Over the first five games, the Royals will travel approximately 1,957 miles in nine days, culminating with a 6.5-hour ride back to Santander Arena on the wee hours of Super Bowl Sunday.

For comparison, 1,957 miles west of Reading is about the distance from Santander Arena to Salt Lake City, UT.

The longest drive of the trip 553-mile jaunt down the eastern seaboard from Glens Falls, NY to Norfolk, VA. Reading will make that trip on Wed., Jan. 31.

Reading is 7-10-2-0 on the road this season.

Road importance
The road trip features four divisional battles and two against Norfolk. The four games against the North Division provides the Royals chance to gain space against Brampton (5^th in North) and Worcester (6^th) while also catching up to Wheeling (3 points ahead of Reading) and Adirondack (1 point).

Against Norfolk, the Royals can get four points against the squad tied for the fewest home wins (6) in the Eastern Conference.

Last time in Wheeling
Despite falling in overtime, 5-4, Dec. 2 at Wesbanco Arena, the Royals came back from two goals down in the third period with three healthy defensemen. Reading earned points in five of six games to stay in playoff contention in the North Division.

One of the game’s key moments was at 16:21 of the second; Royals defenseman Chase Golightly was injured on a tripping call against Garrett Meurs, setting off a mini-line brawl that saw a combined 36 PIM. Reading used Steven Swavely and Scott Tanski at defense in the third period.

Chris McCarthy scored the tying goal in the third before Meurs tallied in overtime. After the game, Meurs was suspended for three games for his illegal hit against Golightly in the second.

Scouting the Nailers
Wheeling is a point out of first place in the North Division with an 8-2-1-0 mark over the last 11. The hot streak comes after the Nailers fell to 16-14-2-0 (T-3^rd North) with a New Year’s Eve loss to Indy. Wheeling is averaging 4.2 goals per game since Jan. 1 and allowing 2.7 per contest (46 GF, 30 GA).

Reid Gardiner leads the team with nine goals (10 pts.) this month. Riley Bourbonnais and Nick Sorkin are tied for a squad-best 11 points in the new year.

Cam Brown (39 pts.) and Gardiner (38 pts.) are Wheeling’s point leaders and ranked second and third in rookie points.

The Nailers top the league with a 22.0% power-play conversion rate. Slightly fewer than 25% of Wheeling’s tallies have been on the man up. Adam Morrison is 8-7-0-0 (15 GP) with a 2.82 goals against average and .911 save percentage. Will King (6-4-1-0 record) has a 2.92 GAA and .912 sv% in 12 GP.

Scouting the series: Royals lead series, 4-2-1-0
The Royals dropped the last game of the series, 4-2, on Dec. 16 while in the midst of a five-game losing skid. Reading plays the Nailers 11 times this season. Three of the final four meetings are in West Virginia.

Matt Willows is best on Reading with four goals and seven points against Wheeling. Former Nailer Hunter Fejes had five goals in seven games against the Royals, but Wheeling traded Fejes to Orlando Jan. 2 in exchange for Michael Turner and Chris Francis.

Adam Schmidt is second among active Royals with four points against the Nailers (1g, 3a). Ordained “Royals killer” Cody Wydo has beaten Reading netminders four times this season (6 pts.).

John Muse and Mark Dekanich each have a pair of wins in the series. Dekanich, 2-1-1-0, has allowed nine goals in four games. Muse is 2-1-0-0 against the Nailers (9 GA) and defeated Wheeling with 31 saves on 34 shots Dec. 1. Immediately following the game, Lehigh Valley recalled Muse to the AHL. Muse returned to the Royals Dec. 27 and has a 9-1-0-0 record since.

Will King is 2-0-0-0 against Reading, allowing six goals. Adam Morrison has yet to beat the Royals in three chances (3.40 GAA).

Hockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

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Huntebrinker is Reading’s hero in 2-1 OT victory over Nailers

January 26, 2018, 6:40 pm

≫ Next: Game 45 Preview: Reading at Brampton

≪ Previous: Game 44 Preview: Reading at Wheeling

Wheeling, WV – Reading Royals forward Michael Huntebrinker blasted his team-leading 14^th goal at :28 of overtime to secure a 2-1 victory over the Wheeling Nailers Saturday at Wesbanco Arena.

Matt Willows (1a) came across the Nailers line on the left wing. He slowed at the left circle and fed Huntebrinker for a slot slap shot. James de Haas garnered the secondary assist.

John Muse made 36 saves and the final 16 of the game. He is 10-1-0-0 since returning from Lehigh Valley. Wheeling’s Reid Gardiner tied the game in the last half of the second period. Adam Schmidt scored Reading’s first goal, his first since returning from a ten-game injury absence.

The Royals have 50 points, two behind Wheeling for second in the North Division.

Reading plays the second game of the six-game road trip Sunday at 2:00 p.m. against Brampton.

Box Score

Schmidt buried his 7^th of the season and first since returning from injury 80 seconds into the opening frame to provide Reading a 1-0 advantage. The Royals created net-front traffic and Schmidt wristed it through traffic. It slipped through Morrison. Nolan Zajac and Brian Morgan assisted. Reading has scored the opening goal 29 times this season, most of any ECHL team.

Muse made 12 saves in the first. Wheeling failed to score on 1:32 of a 5-on-3 man advantage.

The Nailers had their first 20 shots denied before a goal from Gardiner evened the game with 6:57 left in the second. Muse made an initial stop and scrambled towards the right post but couldn’t beat Gardiner to the spot. The shot was originally ruled a “no goal”, but a review reversed the call and tied the game.

Huntebrinker’s OT strike gives Reading a 5-2-0-0 record in the extra session this season. Wheeling’s top-ranked power play was 0-for-2 against Reading. The Royals had one chance and failed to score.

At 2:00 p.m. on Sun., Jan. 28, the Royals and Beast meet in Brampton, with Royals Pregame at 1:45 p.m. on Rumba 1340 (via the iHeartRadio app), RumbaReading.com, and BCTV.

The Royals continue the road swing at Adirondack with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop on Tues., Jan. 30. Check out Royals Pregame on BCTV, Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio) and RumbaReading.com at 6:45 p.m.

Hockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

↧

Game 45 Preview: Reading at Brampton

January 28, 2018, 6:00 am

≫ Next: de Haas scores final two goals to complete OT victory over Beast, 4-3

≪ Previous: Huntebrinker is Reading’s hero in 2-1 OT victory over Nailers

Reading in heated division race

Brampton, ON – The Reading Royals (24-18-2-0, 50 pts., 4th North) travel north of the border for their third game of the season at the Brampton Beast (17-18-3-3, 40 pts., 5^th North) Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Reading has played the Beast five times this season with a 2-3-0-0 record. The Royals are looking for their first win in Canada this season.

Brampton is 10 points behind Reading for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division. Reading trails Manchester by four points for first in the North Division. The Royals are two points behind Wheeling and Adirondack for second place. Adirondack is off today, giving the Royals a chance to tie the Thunder before the teams square off Tuesday.

The Royals are on their first road winning streak of the season after defeating the Wheeling Nailers, 2-1, in overtime Friday. Adam Schmidt scored in the first period and Michael Huntebrinker tallied at :28 of overtime. John Muse recorded 36 saves.

The Beast finished a back-to-back against Toledo Saturday night in Ohio and fell in overtime, 3-2.

Royals Pregame coverage starts at 1:45 p.m. on RumbaReading.com, Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio) and BCTV. Listen for a chance to win a gift card to Jimmy G’s Railroad House with the Trivia Question of the Night during 1^st intermission.

Come check out the Royals at Santander Arena Feb. 16-18 for three straight days of fun at Santander Arena. The weekend includes Pink in the Rink, Paw Patrol, Jerry “The King” Lawler Wrestling Night, Faith and Family and the Battle of the Badges. Tickets are available at royalshockey.com/tickets or by calling 610-898-7825.

Huntebrinker’s fabulous week
Michael Huntebrinker has recorded two shootout-winning goals and an overtime tally in the last week. Jan. 20 against Brampton and Wednesday vs. Toledo, Huntebrinker scored in the first round of the shootout. John Muse shut down all five opponent shootout attempts, netting Huntebrinker a pair of winners.

Friday at Wheeling, Huntebrinker banged in a slap shot from the slot early in the extra session to net the Royals two points.

The rookie leads the Royals with 14 goals and is tied for the league lead in shootout winners (2). His plus-nine rating is best among Reading forwards.

While the shootout goals don’t count as game-winners, Huntebrinker has two decisive tallies and is one behind the team lead.

First to 40
Matt Willows is the first Royals player to 40 points this season and has assists in five straight games (8a). It’s the longest point streak of Willows’ season and the second-longest of his career. In the 2015-16 season, Willows won ECHL Rookie of the Year with Florida and ripped a career-high six-game point streak (5g, 3a).

From Jan. 28, 2017 to Feb. 4, 2017, Willows recorded points in five straight games (5g, 5a), the most he’s had in a five-game stretch.

The UNH graduate has never gone more than four games without recording a point.

Only team off
With the team traveling to Brampton and the Beast in Ohio for a matchup against Toledo, the Royals were the only team off from playing Saturday. The ECHL has 27 teams.

Brampton player to watch
Brandon Marino leads the Beast in points with 39 (11g, 28a) and is in his third season with the club. His best game against Reading this season was Jan. 21, registering two points (1g, 1a) in a 5-2 win. The oldest player in the league David Ling, 43, also put up a two-point (1g, 1a) effort. Marino has five points vs. the Royals this season (1g, 4a).

Scouting the Series: Reading trails, 2-3-0-0
John Muse has won his last two starts against the Beast, making 42 saves (44 shots) Jan. 5 and denying a professional-best 47 last Sat., Jan. 20 in a 4-3 shootout win. He has allowed eight goals in three starts, good for a 2-1-0-0 record.

The last time the Royals saw the Beast was one week ago at Santander Arena and the Royals dropped a 5-2 contest. Brampton’s Zach Fucale (35 saves) bested Mark Dekanich (loss, 34 saves, 4 GA) Fucale was named the second star of the game.

Derek Whitmore has two goals against the Beast and Matt Willows has four assists.

The Royals will face the Beast in four more games this season, twice at Santander Arena.

At Brampton
From 1998-2013, the Brampton Battalion were members of the OHL. Royals forwards Scott Tanski and Tyler Brown each played in the OHL from 2007-11 and competed against each other at Powerade Centre when Tanski skated for Brampton.

Over four full seasons in Brampton, Tanski scored 53 goals and 133 points in 219 games. In 2008-09, the Battalion made it to the OHL final and lost to Windsor. Tanski served as Battalion alternate captain in 2010-11.

Brown skated for Plymouth in the OHL and was linemates with current Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin.

Tanski is from Athabasca, AB. Brown, born in Hamilton, ON, grew up in Wasage Bay, ON.

The OHL’s Battalion moved to North Bay, ON following the 2012-13 season.

1-goal games
The Royals are 2-1-5 in one-goal games vs. Brampton since the Beast joined the ECHL in 2015. Both of Reading’s one-goal wins in the regular season series have come this season, including a shootout win Jan. 20. This season, Reading has an 11-6-2-0 record in games decided by one, the fourth-most wins in the circuit.

In the 2017 North Division Semifinals against the Beast, the first five games of the playoff series were decided by a goal and Reading won a pair of them. The Beast eliminated the Royals in game six of the first-round series.

Including the playoff series, 13 of 23 games against the Beast have been a one-goal decision. In games decided past regulation, the Royals are 1-7.

Reading is 7-5-5 all-time in the regular season series.

Hockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

Pink in the Rink, Pink Ice, special jerseys on Sat., Feb 17 vs BRM at 7:00 p.m.
Pink knit scarf giveaway to the first 1,500 women, courtesy of Sweet Street Desserts. The Royals will wear special jerseys and play on pink ice.

Paw Patrol, Battle of the Badges, Faith and Family and Jerry “The King” Lawler on Sun., Feb 18 vs. WHL at 4:00 p.m.
It’s Paw Patrol night! The Royals will wear special Paw Patrol jerseys from the popular Nickelodeon show.

Before the Royals drop the puck with the Nailers, the Reading Police and Fire Departments match up against the Allentown Police and Fire at 12:30 p.m. in the Battle for the FirstStates Cup XIII at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are available here to help raise money for the children of policemen and firefighters.

Meet WWE Hall-of-Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler on Pro Wrestling Night (Tower Health). Plus, it’s Faith and Family Night and dollar dog day, presented by Safe Berks, Berks Packing and Coca-Cola. First 1,000 kids (14 & under) will receive a Slapshot T-shirt thanks to Bethany Children’s Home. Also check out a postgame skate presented by Body Zone.

↧

de Haas scores final two goals to complete OT victory over Beast, 4-3

January 28, 2018, 1:48 pm

≫ Next: Weekly Release, Vol. 17, No. 15

≪ Previous: Game 45 Preview: Reading at Brampton

Brampton, ON – Defenseman James de Haas scored the tying goal in the third and powered in the winning goal at 1:03 of overtime to complete a come-from-behind, 4-3 decision against the Brampton Beast Sunday at Powerade Centre.

Adam Schmidt (3a) sprung a 75-foot pass to de Haas at the Beast line in overtime. de Haas walked into the zone and wristed it in from the top of the left circle for his first professional multi-goal game. His shot beat Zach Fucale (loss, 31 saves) to the top right shelf. Reading fell behind, 3-2, at 6:14 of the third on a short-handed strike from Brampton’s Alex Foster. de Haas evened the game with a slap shot at 12:29 of the third.

Reading is 6-2 in overtime this season, tied for the most extra-session victories in the league. The Royals are 8-2 in games decided past regulation.

Meanwhile, John Muse moved to 12-1-0-0 in his last 13 decisions, stopping 28 shots.

The Royals scored on their first and last shots. Matt Wilkins ripped the opening goal at :52 of the first period, the quickest Reading has tallied this season.

The Royals travel to Glens Falls, NY for a North Division showdown with the Adirondack Thunder (52 pts.) Tues., Jan. 30 at 7:00 p.m. Royals Pregame starts on BCTV, Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio) and RumbaReading.com at 6:45 p.m.

Box Score

Wilkins scored the first goal unassisted. He coaxed a turnover at the right slot, took a stride and shot it to the top right shelf for his eighth of the season. The Union College graduate has three goals and seven points over the last games.

The Beast struck back 1:56 later. Scott Jacklin pounded it through Muse a foot outside the right-side crease. With 5:52 remaining in the frame, Matt Petgrave dashed in between the circles, received a centering pass from Chris Leveille and touched it to the top shelf. Alex Foster recorded the secondary assist.

Willows tied the game, 2-2, at 8:32 of the middle frame. He scored one second after Reading’s second man-up opportunity expired. Nick Luukko stroked one off a defender in front of the cage. It pin-balled off Adam Schmidt to Willows. The Royals leading scorer (41 points) backhanded it in at the left post.

Foster short-handed strike gave the Beast a 3-2 edge at 6:14 of the third. Reading’s power play was 0-for-5 and killed off all five Beast opportunities.

de Haas wired the tying goal to the bottom right pocket of the cage with 7:31 left, assisted by Schmidt and Tyler Brown.

On Fri., Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m., the Royals are in Norfolk for the first of two games against the Admirals. The teams rematch at 7:00 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 3. Coverage for both games begins at 6:45 p.m. with Royals Pregame on BCTV, Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio) and RumbaReading.com at 6:45 p.m.

Hockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

↧

Weekly Release, Vol. 17, No. 15

January 29, 2018, 2:47 pm

≫ Next: Game 46 Preview: Reading at Adirondack

≪ Previous: de Haas scores final two goals to complete OT victory over Beast, 4-3

Dynamic start to Royals road trip

Reading, PA – The Reading Royals (52 pts., T-3^rd North) are two points out of first place in the North Division and in the middle of a six-game road trip. The away trend continues this week with three games against the Eastern Conference. Reading has taken the first two games of the road trip.

Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., the Royals battle at Adirondack for a share of first place in the North Division. Two points separate first (Wheeling/Manchester, 54 pts.) and third (Reading/Adirondack).

Reading immediately heads south to Virginia for a Friday and Saturday set vs. Norfolk. The six-game trip concludes on Wed., Feb. 7 at Worcester.

Reading has won three straight games, all decided past regulation. John Muse has earned the start in all three games and is 12-1-0-0 in his last three starts. He’s third in the league with 17 wins, third in goals against average (2.21) and tied for the league lead in save percentage (.934)

Upcoming Home Games
Hockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

Call 610-898-PUCK or visit royalshockey.com/tickets to start your experience at Santander Arena. Group tickets are $11 for groups of ten or more.

Big 3 Storylines
3) Willows not wavering

Matt Willows has tied a professional-best six-game point streak with eight assists over the last three games. He recorded an assist on a tying goal Sunday at Brampton and has three multi-point efforts during the streak. The native of Congers, NY is second on the Royals with 13 goals and the top assists (28) and points (41) man on the squad.

2) Paw Patrol announcement
The Royals announced a new themed game, Paw Patrol Day, will be on Sun., Feb. 18 against Wheeling at 4:00 p.m. Parents can bring their kids out for a fun day as the team wears special Nickelodeon Paw Patrol jerseys! It’s also a dollar hot dog day along with a free postgame skate. Jerry “The King” Lawler will be at the game. It’s also Faith and Family Night!

1) How about another OT?
The Royals have won three straight games, all past regulation. The latest triumph came Sunday when Reading overcame a third-period deficit with a James de Haas goal. Next, de Haas sniped in his second of the game for the winner 1:03 in.

The Royals are 8-2 in overtime and shootout games. Only Colorado has more wins (9) in games decided past regulation.

Team Leaders (Active players)
Goals: Michael Huntebrinker (14), Matt Willows (13), Nolan Zajac (9)
Assists: Matt Willows (28), Nolan Zajac (16), Adam Schmidt/Nick Luukko (15)
Points: Matt Willows (41), Nolan Zajac (25), Michael Huntebrinker/Adam Schmidt (23)
PIMs: Matt Willows (40), Jimmy DeVito (32), Matias Cleland (29)
+/-: Frank Hora (10), Michael Huntebrinker (9), James de Haas/Brian Morgan (5)

Practice schedule
Monday – in Adirondack
Tuesday – game at 7:00 p.m. at ADK
Wednesday – TRAVEL to Norfolk
Thursday – TBD
Friday – Game at 7:00 p.m. at NOR
Saturday – Game at 7:00 p.m. at NOR
Sunday – OFF Day

Royals Radio Recon: Next Show Tues., Feb. 13
Live from Jimmy G’s Railroad House from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Meet Royals players and coaches at Jimmy G’s Railroad House from 152 Woodrow Ave. in Sinking Spring. Listen on rumbareading.com and Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio app).

This Week

Game 46 at Adirondack: Tues., Jan. 30 at 7:00 p.m.

Listen on Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio app). Watch on BCTV and ECHL.tv.

Game 47 vs. Norfolk: Fri., Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m.

Listen on Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio app). Watch ECHL.tv and BCTV.

Game 48 at Norfolk: Sat., Feb. 3 at 7:00 p.m.

Listen on Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio app), Watch on ECHL.tv and BCTV.

About the Royals
The Royals have been owned by serial entrepreneur Jack Gulati since 2014 and are in their 17^th ECHL season. Proudly affiliated with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Reading plays at Santander Arena, located in downtown Reading, PA at 700 Penn Street. The Royals won the Kelly Cup in 2013, have made the playoffs in eight straight seasons and are four-time division champions.

Reading Royals Mobile App

Broadcast Coverage

↧

Game 46 Preview: Reading at Adirondack

January 30, 2018, 5:00 am

≫ Next: Muse wins CCM ECHL Goaltender of the Week for 2nd time this month

≪ Previous: Weekly Release, Vol. 17, No. 15

Rivals dual for first-place tie

Glens Falls, NY – The winner of the Reading Royals (25-18-2-0, 52 pts., T-3^rd North) and Adirondack Thunder (24-17-2-2, 52 pts., T-3^rd North) ties for first place in the North Division and the squads duke it out Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. from Cool Insuring Arena.

Reading and Adirondack are each two points out of first place. Manchester and Wheeling have 54 points. The top-four teams in the North Division qualify for the 2018 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Brampton and Worcester sit in a fifth-place tie and are 11 points out of the four-seed.

The Royals won their fifth straight game past regulation Sunday, defeating the Brampton Beast, 4-3, in comeback fashion. Reading has taken the first two games of their six-game road trip. The last three Royals games have been tied after 60 minutes; Reading has a pair of overtime wins and a shootout victory.

Reading is 7-4-0-0 against Adirondack this season. The Thunder has won three straight series battles, outscoring Reading, 10-1.

Adirondack completes a five-game home stand Tuesday and the Thunder are 2-1-1-0 through the first four. Last weekend, Adirondack earned points in three straight games (2-0-1) against the Eastern-Conference-leading Florida Everblades. Last game, Gus Young scored in overtime for the ‘Blades to drop Adirondack, 4-3.

Royals Pregame coverage starts at 6:45 p.m. on RumbaReading.com, Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio) and BCTV. Listen for a chance to win a gift card to Jimmy G’s Railroad House with the Trivia Question of the Night during 1^st intermission.

Check out the Royals at Santander Arena Feb. 16-18 for three straight days of fun. The weekend includes Pink in the Rink, Paw Patrol, Jerry “The King” Lawler Wrestling Night, Faith and Family and the Battle of the Badges. Tickets are available at royalshockey.com/tickets or by calling 610-898-7825.

de Haas ties and delivers OT winner
Royals defenseman James de Haas scored his first overtime-winning goal to sink Brampton in Sunday, giving the defenseman three goals and seven points over his last six games. He also recorded his first professional multi-goal game, tying the game with less than eight minutes to go in regulation.

de Haas scored his first professional goal for Lehigh Valley and returned to Reading Dec. 31. Combined between the squads, he has five goals and 24 points in 38 contests.

The Clarkson graduate scored 29 points last season, the most by a Golden Knights defenseman in 14 seasons.

Schmidt emerges
Royals forward Adam Schmidt recorded his first three-point game (1g, 2a) in North America Sunday against Brampton. Since returning from a ten-game injury absence against the Beast Jan. 21, Schmidt has registered two goals and five points. He earned the primary assist on Reading’s tying goal Sunday and then passed to James de Haas again for the overtime-winning goal.

The native of Warrington, PA has tallied seven goals and 23 points in 32 contests.

Schmidt spent the last three seasons overseas after graduating from Holy Cross in 2014.

Overtime ballers
The Royals have won eight games past regulation (8-2) and six in overtime, tied for the most ECHL OT victories. Reading has won five straight games decided past regulation, its longest streak of the season. The Royals opened the season with three straight overtime victories.

Your daily Muse update
John Muse moved to 12-1-0-0 over his last 13 decisions with 28 saves Sunday. The goaltender allowed two in the first period to the Beast, but made 19 saves on his final 20 shots.

The goaltender is tied for the league lead with a .934 save percentage. He is 17-4-1 this campaign with a 2.21 goals against average. He has won five straight starts. His only loss since returning from Lehigh Valley in late December was against Adirondack (18 saves, 2 GA on Jan. 12).

Scouting the Series: Reading leads, 7-4-0-0
The Royals have outscored the Thunder in the series, 37-32, but Adirondack has allowed one goal in the last three meetings. Most recently, Brian Morgan beat goaltender Drew Fielding on Jan. 13 in a 4-1 Reading loss.

Reading’s Matt Willows and Nolan Zajac top the Royals with 10 points in the series. Michael Huntebrinker has five goals, seven points and a team-best plus-seven rating in the series. Huntebrinker registered his first professional hat trick (3g, 1a) when the Royals defeated the Thunder, 5-3.

Captain Derek Whitmore (4g) and forward Adam Schmidt (3g) each have seven points against the Thunder.

James Henry leads all players with six goals and ten points. The last two series games, Henry has beaten the Royals for three goals and five points. Pierre-Luc Mercier tops Adirondack with 12 points (3g) vs. Reading.

John Muse has recorded a 4-1-0-0 record against Adirondack and allowed 11 goals in five games. Mark Dekanich is 3-2-0-0 vs. the Thunder (16 GA in 6 games).

Drew Fielding has shut out the Royals twice (3-1-0-0 record overall). Reading snapped his series shutout streak at 179:37 last game on Morgan’s strike. Fielding has surrendered two goals to the Royals in his last four appearances.

All-time series
Reading is 19-12-3-0 in the all-time series against Adirondack. This is the Thunder’s 3^rd ECHL season. Reading is 2-2-0-0 this season in Glens Falls and 8-6-2 overall at Adirondack. Last season, the Royals took three of five games at the Thunder and finished with a 7-2-2-0 mark in the series.

The Royals started off this season 6-0-0-0 against the Thunder, with points in eight straight games dating back to last campaign’s matchups.

The series ahead
The last two series games are in Glens Falls and the Royals and Thunder next play Feb. 24. The final contest of the series is March 31.

Scouting Adirondack
James Henry leads the Thunder with 40 points in 45 games played. In four games at Adirondack against the Royals, Henry has five points. The Winnipeg, MB native scored twice Jan. 12^th in Reading. Henry represented the North Division at the 2018 All-Star Classic along with Reading’s Michael Huntebrinker. Henry is six points shy of 200 at the ECHL level. Last season, he set a professional high with 20 goals and 54 points.

Ty Loney, recently returned from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, leads the Thunder with 18 goals.

Shane Conacher has 28 assists, best on the squad.

In cage, Drew Fielding tops the Thunder in wins with an 11-5-1-0 record. The former Royals netminder has two shutouts (both vs. Reading), a 2.97 goals against average and .902 save percentage.

Hockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

↧

Muse wins CCM ECHL Goaltender of the Week for 2nd time this month

January 30, 2018, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Brown and Willows tally in Reading’s 3-2 loss to Thunder

≪ Previous: Game 46 Preview: Reading at Adirondack

Netminder set for battle against rival Thunder Tues.

PRINCETON, N.J. – John Muse of the Reading Royals is the CCM ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Jan. 22-28. It is the second time in the last four weeks that he has received the weekly honor. Muse and the Royals are at Adirondack Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. meeting against the Thunder and the winner ties for first place in the North Division.

Muse went 3-0-0 with a 2.25 goals-against average and a save percentage of .932 in three appearances last week, improving his record to 12-1-0 in his last 13 appearances.

The 29-year-old stopped 32 shots in a 4-3 shootout win against Toledo on Wednesday, made 36 saves in a 2-1 overtime win at Wheeling on Friday and turned aside 28 shots in a 4-3 overtime victory at Brampton on Sunday.

A native of East Falmouth, Massachusetts, Muse has appeared in 22 games for the Royals this season posting a record of 17-4-1. He is tied for the league lead with two shutouts and a .934 save percentage and is tied for third with 17 wins and a 2.21 goals-against average.

Muse, who captured the 2012 Kelly Cup title with Florida, has seen action in 75 career ECHL games with Reading, Elmira, Fort Wayne and Florida posting an overall record of 44-20-11 with three shutouts, a 2.73 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. In 162 career AHL appearances with Lehigh Valley, Rochester, Texas, Charlotte and Portland he has gone 78-58-6 with eight shutouts, a 2.65 goals-against average and a save percentage of .914.

Prior to turning pro, Muse played four seasons at Boston College where he was a two-time National Champion (2008 and 2010) and set school records for saves (3,696) and games played (144).

Hockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

↧

Brown and Willows tally in Reading’s 3-2 loss to Thunder

January 30, 2018, 6:27 pm

≫ Next: Game 47 Preview: Reading at Norfolk

≪ Previous: Muse wins CCM ECHL Goaltender of the Week for 2nd time this month

Glens Falls, NY – Adirondack Thunder forward Ty Loney scored the game-winning goal with 36.7 seconds to go to sink the Reading Royals, 3-2, Tuesday at Cool Insuring Arena. John Muse made 23 saves in defeat and is 12-2-0-0 over his last 14 appearances.

Reading remains two points behind Adirondack, Wheeling and Manchester for first place in the North Division.

Matt Willows scored his 14^th of the season to open the scoring early in the first and tie Michael Huntebrinker for the team lead in goals. The Thunder recorded the next two to take a 2-1 edge in the second. Tyler Brown scored his third of the season to even the contest near the end of the middle frame.

The Thunder limited Reading to 17 shots on goal and Drew Fielding made 15 stops.

The Royals start a weekend road set at the Norfolk Admirals this Fri., Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m.

Box Score

The Royals scored on their second shot against Fielding to take a 1-0 edge at 6:38 of the first. Willows cut across the center of the Thunder blue line and took a deep wrist shot. Using Adirondack’s Desmond Bergin’s legs as a screen, Willows snuck it through to the left post. It was Reading’s last shot of the period and the Royals were out-shot, 8-2, in the first.

Pierre-Luc Mercier evened the game with 1:04 to go in the first period on a shot from the left circle, assisted by Ty Loney and Bergin. At 5:28 of the second, the defenseman Bergin picked up his second point on a sniped goal from the right circle to the short post, beating Muse and giving the Thunder a 2-1 lead.

Reading slowly rebooted with a number of shots on goal before tying, 2-2. Matt Wilkins and Willows exchanged the puck. Wilkins slung it net front through a defender’s wickets to a wide-open Tyler Brown at the left shot. He gathered and quickly flushed it to the top right shelf for his first goal since Nov. 15 (22 games).

The Royals killed off a pair of Thunder man-up chances in the third. Loney scored the winning tally in the final minute at the right doorstep.

On Fri., Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m., the Royals are in Norfolk for the first of two games against the Admirals. The teams rematch at 7:00 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 3. Coverage for both games begins at 6:45 p.m. with Royals Pregame on BCTV, Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio) and RumbaReading.com at 6:45 p.m.

Hockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs. CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

Pink in the Rink, Pink Ice, special jerseys on Sat., Feb 17 vs. BRM at 7:00 p.m.
Pink knit scarf giveaway to the first 1,500 women, courtesy of Sweet Street Desserts. The Royals will wear special jerseys and play on pink ice.

PAW Patrol, Battle of the Badges, Faith and Family and Jerry “The King” Lawler on Sun., Feb 18 vs. WHL at 4:00 p.m.
It’s PAW Patrol night! The Royals will wear special PAW Patrol jerseys from the popular Nickelodeon show.

↧

Game 47 Preview: Reading at Norfolk

February 2, 2018, 7:00 am

≫ Next: McCarthy returns to Reading, Muse recalled to Lehigh Valley

≪ Previous: Brown and Willows tally in Reading’s 3-2 loss to Thunder

Weekend war at the Chesapeake against Ads

Norfolk, VA – The Reading Royals (25-19-2-0, 52 pts., 4^th North) and Norfolk Admirals (17-21-5-1, 40 pts., 6^th South) meet for the first time this season and start a back-to-back set Friday at 7:00 p.m. from the Norfolk Scope.

This is Norfolk’s third campaign in the ECHL and the teams battled 11 times last season. Friday’s matchup is the first of four games this campaign against the cross-divisional Admirals.

Reading is three games through a six-game road trip with a 2-1-0-0 record. Tuesday, Matt Willows potted a goal and two points at Adirondack (3-2 L). The Royals left Glens Falls on Wednesday and traveled 550 miles south to Virginia. Reading has won three of four games.

Norfolk concluded a five-game road swing Wednesday with a 5-3 victory at South Carolina. The Admirals went 3-2-0-0 over the trip to move four points back of the fourth and final playoff spot in the South Division. Norfolk starts a season-long nine-game home stand Friday.

Check out the Royals at Santander Arena Feb. 16-18 for three straight days of fun. The weekend includes Pink in the Rink, Paw Patrol, Jerry “The King” Lawler Wrestling Night, Faith and Family Night and the Battle of the Badges. Tickets are available at royalshockey.com/tickets or by calling 610-898-7825.

Willows sets personal high
Matt Willows extended his point streak to a career-long seven straight games after netting a pair of points (1g, 1a) Tuesday at Adirondack. Over the seven games, Willows has a goal and 10 assists. He topped Reading with three goals and 14 points in January.

The stretch has included four multi-point games. The native of Congers, NY has recorded multiple points in 13 games this season, five more than any other teammate. Willows has the league’s longest current assist streak, jumping Adirondack’s Troy Bourke.

Somewhat uncannily, Willows’ has never had more than 11 points in seven games. He’s achieved the “11-in-7” four times. Last season, the third-year professional did it twice (Jan. 28 – Feb. 18, Feb. 28-Mar. 11). His rookie season, Willows managed the 11-in-7 once and registered a career-high 66 points en route to winning 2016 ECHL Rookie of the Year.

All-time series: Royals lead 14-4-2
The Royals are 7-2-0-1 in Norfolk and went 4-2-0-0 at the Scope last season. Reading earned three straight victories and a pair of road wins to conclude the 2016-17 regular season under Kirk MacDonald. The Royals also have seven wins and two regulation losses against the Admirals at Santander Arena. The only home matchup against Norfolk this season is Apr. 7, the regular season finale.

In Norfolk’s first ECHL season (2015-16), Reading won the first six games of the series and pounded the Admirals in eight of nine games (8-0-0-1). The Royals earned points in their first 11 games vs. Norfolk (10-0-0-1).

After the early dominance, the Admirals defeated the Royals in five of the next six. The tide has shifted back Pennsylvania’s way since, with Reading riding a four-game point streak vs. Norfolk (3-0-1-0).

Scouting the Admirals
Ads Captain Brodie Dupont is in the league’s top-five with 47 points (16g) and led the squad with five goals and 15 points in January. The 11^th year professional was a 2005 3^rd round pick of the New York Rangers. Over the last five games, all on the road, the Admirals scored 22 goals (4.4 GF/GM). The high flying included including back-to-back eight-goal and seven-tally outputs vs. Greenville and Atlanta. Grant Besse and Thomas Frazee are tied for a team-best seven points since the goal explosion began.

Besse (18g) is two goals ahead of Dupont for the team lead.

Ty Reichenbach (27 GP) has seen the majority of time over Jamie Murray (15 GP) and Reichenbach is 12-11-3-0 with a 3.21 goals against average and .916 save percentage. Murray is 4-6-2-1, allowing nearly four goals a game (3.96 GAA) with a .893 save percentage.

The Admirals have the fewest home wins in the league (6-9-3-1 record) and possess a -22 goal differential at the Norfolk Scope. Norfolk is 3-10-0-0 against the North Division this season.

PK charge
Reading’s penalty kill is third in the ECHL denying 86.2% of opponents’ chances. Over the last four games, the Royals are unblemished and the kill has denied 13 straight opportunities. The Royals need nine more kills in-a-row to reach an 87.0% success rate.

The Royals’ longest stretch without allowing a power-play goal this season is six straight games.

Next time – Saturday
The Royals and Admirals next meet in a back-to-back set to conclude the regular season series Apr. 6-7. Reading is at Norfolk Apr. 6.

Still searching – Saturday
While Reading has made the Kelly Cup Playoffs in eight straight seasons, the Admirals are in danger of missing the postseason for their third straight season since joining the ECHL. Norfolk has finished last in the division their first two ECHL campaigns. In 2015-16, Reading tied for second in the former “East Division” with 82 points while the Admirals claimed fifth with 65 points. Reformed divisions saw Norfolk jump to the South last season (58 points).

The Admirals qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs in their first seven AHL seasons (2000-08) and won the 2012 Calder Cup with Head Coach Jon Cooper, now the Tampa Bay Lightning’s bench boss.

Remembering MacDonald’s and Ftorek’s Head Coaching starts
Royals Head Coach Kirk MacDonald started his bench boss career vs. the Admirals and Norfolk head man Robbie Ftorek coached his first Admirals game against Reading. MacDonald became Reading’s Interim Head Coach with three games to go in the 2016-17 regular season and his first appearance was Apr. 5, 2016, a 2-1 victory vs. Norfolk. Under MacDonald’s guidance, the Royals finished the season with three straight wins against Norfolk and claimed the second seed in the North Division playoff bracket.

Ftorek is set to coach his 13^th game against the Royals Saturday since making his Norfolk head coach debut against Reading Dec. 2, 2016. Ftorek stepped up as Head Coach halfway through the 2016-17 season after former head coach Rod Aldoff was dismissed with a 2-11-2 record. The Royals won back-to-back contests in Ftorek’s first games with the Admirals and Reading claimed a 6-4-1-0 season series edge in 2016-17.

Hockey N’ Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

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McCarthy returns to Reading, Muse recalled to Lehigh Valley

February 2, 2018, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Muse honored as Warrior Hockey Goaltender of the Month

≪ Previous: Game 47 Preview: Reading at Norfolk

Reading, PA – Forward Chris McCarthy returned to the Reading Royals on loan from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Friday and goaltender John Muse was recalled on loan. The Royals also signed goaltender Brad Barone from Roanoke (SPHL). McCarthy and Barone are in Norfolk as the Royals dual against the Admirals Friday at 7:00 p.m.

McCarthy ranks third on Reading in goals (13) and fourth with 25 points. He played in one game with Lehigh Valley (1/24/18 vs. Providence) after being recalled Jan. 16. In 83 career games with the Royals, McCarthy has registered 32 goals and 52 points. The Collegeville, PA native has 27 points (9g) in 85 career AHL games.

Muse is coming off one of his best career months, tabulating a 9-2-0-0 record, 1.97 goals against average and .940 save percentage in 11 January games. He ranks fourth in the league with a 2.25 goals against average and second with a .932 save percentage (17-5-1-0 record).

Originally from East Falmouth, MA and a two-time NCAA National Champion at Boston College, Muse has appeared in 238 professional games. Over 162 AHL contests, Muse is 78-58-6-8 with a 2.65 GAA and .914 sv.%. This season, he is 2-1-0-0 with Lehigh Valley.

Barone is a former Boston College netminder and third-year professional. In 21 games with Roanoke, he is 6-10-1 with a 3.44 goals against average and .911 save percentage. Barone registered a professional-high 19 wins with Mississippi (SPHL) last season. He has played in two ECHL games. In 2015, he appeared in the Kelly Cup Playoffs with Florida, making five saves (0 GA) in 17 minutes.

Hockey N’ Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

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Muse honored as Warrior Hockey Goaltender of the Month

February 2, 2018, 10:00 am

≫ Next: Willows tabbed CCM ECHL Player of the Month

≪ Previous: McCarthy returns to Reading, Muse recalled to Lehigh Valley

PRINCETON, N.J. – John Muse of the Reading Royals has been selected as the Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month for January. Friday, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms recalled Muse from loan. Reading starts a weekend set at the Norfolk Admirals Friday at 7:00 p.m.

The 29-year-old went 9-2-0 with one shutout, a 1.97 goals-against average and a save percentage of .940 in 11 appearances during the month.

A native of East Falmouth, Massachusetts, Muse allowed two goals or less in seven of his 11 appearances while making at least 28 saves in eight games. He made a career-high 47 saves in a 4-3 win against Brampton on Jan. 20, while turning aside 42 shots in a 3-2 victory against the Beast on Jan. 5 and making 40 saves in a 6-2 win at Manchester on Jan. 14. Twice during the month, he was named the ECHL Goaltender of the Week.

Under contract with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League, Muse has appeared in 23 games for the Royals this season and is tied for the ECHL lead with two shutouts, is second with a .932 save percentage, tied for third with 17 wins and fourth with a 2.25 goals-against average.

Muse, who captured the 2012 Kelly Cup title with Florida, has seen action in 76 career ECHL games with Reading, Elmira, Fort Wayne and Florida posting an overall record of 44-21-11 with three shutouts, a 2.74 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. In 162 career AHL appearances with Lehigh Valley, Rochester, Texas, Charlotte and Portland he has gone 78-58-6 with eight shutouts, a 2.65 goals-against average and a save percentage of .914.

Prior to turning pro, Muse played four seasons at Boston College where he was a two-time National Champion (2008 and 2010) and set school records for saves (3,696) and games played (144).

Hockey N’ Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

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Willows tabbed CCM ECHL Player of the Month

February 2, 2018, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: McCarthy and Reading capsize Admirals, 7-1

≪ Previous: Muse honored as Warrior Hockey Goaltender of the Month

Royals sweep Goaltender and Player of the Month honors

PRINCETON, N.J. – Reading Royals’ forward Matt Willows has been named the CCM ECHL Player of the Month for January. Earlier Friday, John Muse received Warrior Hockey Goaltender of the Month honors.

It is the first time the Royals have had a pair of players sweep Player and Goaltender of the Month honors in the same month. Reading has taken two league-wide awards in the same month on four different occasions, most recently in Dec. 2009 when Ben Gordon took home Player of the Month and ECHL Plus Performer of the Month.

Willows scored three goals and assisted on 13 others for 16 points in 14 games during the month.

The 26-year-old picked up at least one point in 11 of his 14 games, and ended the month on a seven-game point streak, over which he tallied 10 points (1g-9a). Willows posted multi-point games five times in January.

A native of Congers, New York, Willows leads the Royals – and is tied for ninth overall in the league – with 43 points and is tied for the team lead with 14 goals in 46 games this season.

Willows has tallied 170 points (59g-111a) in 180 career ECHL games with Reading, Allen and Florida. He was named ECHL Rookie of the Year with Florida in 2015-16 after posting 66 points (23g-43a) in 71 games. Willows has also seen action in 12 career American Hockey League games with Worcester and San Jose, adding five points (3g-2a).

Prior to turning pro, Willows recorded 90 points (45g-45a) in 130 career games at the University of New Hampshire.

Hockey N’ Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.

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McCarthy and Reading capsize Admirals, 7-1

February 2, 2018, 6:39 pm

≫ Next: Game 48 Preview: Reading at Norfolk

≪ Previous: Willows tabbed CCM ECHL Player of the Month

Norfolk, VA – A career-high four-point game from Chris McCarthy (2g, 2a) and three goals in the second period from the Reading Royals drowned the Norfolk Admirals, 7-1, Friday at Norfolk Scope Arena. McCarthy scored a pair of goals in the second period in his first game back from Lehigh Valley (AHL). Derek Whitmore (2g) and Matt Willows (2g) also netted multi-point games.

The Royals struck for three goals in a 4:47 span, starting with McCarthy at 7:12 of the second. Reading led, 5-1, halfway through the middle frame. Whitmore and Willows added the third-period markers to ice the game. It was Whitmore’s first multi-goal game of the season.

The goal explosion forced Admirals netminder Ty Reichenbach from the game (25 saves, 5 goals allowed). Jamie Murray denied 15 shots in relief.

Willows gave the Royals a 2-0 edge in the last half of the first period, extending his point streak to a career-best eight games (5g, 13a). The reigning CCM ECHL Player of the Month tops Reading with 16 goals and 45 points.

Mark Dekanich (win, 27 saves) took his ninth win of the season.

Reading completes the weekend at the Norfolk Scope Arena Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The road trip’s final game is Wed., Feb. 7 at 7:00 p.m. in Worcester. Reading is next at home Fri., Feb. 16 vs. Cincinnati at 7:00 p.m. for Hockey N’ Heels Night, featuring a pink knit hat giveaway from Sweet Streets Desserts and a special ladies-only pampering session and gift certificate giveaway from Bell Tower.

Box Score

The Royals struck with two goals five minutes apart to take a 2-0 edge into first intermission. Whitmore roofed his seventh of the season on a back-door pass to the left post from Michael Huntebrinker at 9:32 of the first. The Reading Captain Whitmore cut to the left post and Huntebrinker no-looked it to him on feed from behind the cage. Matias Cleland (2a) had his first point.

Next, Willows extended the edge with 5:33 to go in the first. Reading cut into the zone with Willows, Wilkins and McCarthy. Willows led the rush and fed for Wilkins, who immediately slung it cross ice to McCarthy at the left dot. Next, McCarthy directed it diagonally to Willows. With a wide-open right side of the net yawning, Willows took his time and guided a clean wrist shot past Reichenbach.

Brodie Dupont had the Ads’ only goal at 1:11 of the second, cutting Reading’s lead to one.

Minutes later, the Royals offense emerged again. McCarthy sniped his first of the game at the high slot with 13 minutes to go in the second, assisted by Matt Wilkins. Next, Schmidt tapped home a rebound at the right post 3:44 later. James de Haas walked the blue line and rifled a shot, deflected by Tanski and off Reichenbach’s pads before Schmidt’s deposit.

McCarthy scored another goal 1:03 later to knock Reichenbach from the game. Nick Neville earned his first Reading point, flying up the right wing and centering to McCarthy at the left slot.

Whitmore cruised in Reading’s sixth goal and made it 6-1 at 4:01 of the third, assisted by Brian Morgan. Five minutes later, Willows found twine on a slot shot. Cleland and McCarthy had the helpers.

On Fri., Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m., the Royals are in Norfolk for the first of two games against the Admirals. The teams rematch at 7:00 p.m. on Sat., Feb. 3. Coverage for both games begins at 6:45 p.m. with Royals Pregame on BCTV, Rumba 1340 (iHeartRadio) and RumbaReading.com at 6:45 p.m.

Hockey ‘N Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs. CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts. Bell Tower will be at the game for a ladies-only pampering session and gift card giveaway.

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Game 48 Preview: Reading at Norfolk

February 3, 2018, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Dekanich perfect in 2-0 blanking at Admirals

≪ Previous: McCarthy and Reading capsize Admirals, 7-1

Surging Royals get road-trip break after Saturday showdown

Norfolk, VA – The Reading Royals (26-19-2-0, 54 pts., 4^th North) play the fifth game of a six-game road trip at the Norfolk Admirals (17-22-5-1, 40 pts., 6^th South) Saturday at 7:00 p.m. from the Norfolk Scope Arena. Reading is coming off a 7-1 win Friday. Chris McCarthy, Matt Willows and Derek Whitmore recorded multi-goal games.

After Saturday’s game, Reading heads home for Super Bowl Sunday and completes the six-game swing at Worcester on Wed., Feb. 7. So far in the road trip, Reading is 3-1-0-0 and outscored opponents, 15-8. Friday’s game marked the second time this season Reading recorded at least “touchdown with the extra point” – seven goals. The Royals scored a season-high nine Oct. 29 (9-4 W) vs. Adirondack. Friday’s victory was Reading’s most-lopsided of the season.

Check out the Royals at Santander Arena Feb. 16-18 for three straight days of fun. The weekend includes Pink in the Rink, Paw Patrol, Jerry “The King” Lawler Wrestling Night, Faith and Family Night and the Battle of the Badges. Tickets are available at royalshockey.com/tickets or by calling 610-898-7825.

McCarthy returns and stars
Chris McCarthy came back to the Royals from Lehigh Valley Friday and dominated with a professional-high four points (2g, 2a), moving him to second on the team with 15 goals and 29 points. His last four-point game was a four-assist effort his senior season at Vermont vs. Merrimack.

The effort returned McCarthy to “normal” after only playing one game in two weeks with the Phantoms. Prior to the call-up, the Collegeville, PA native registered five goals in seven games. Over his last eight, he has seven goals and 10 points.

McCarthy is credited with seven career multi-goal games, but has yet to crack a hat trick in 232 contests.

Whitmore swings his first multi-goal effort
Derek Whitmore scored twice Friday, the first time he’s found twine a pair of times as a Royal. The tenth-year professional spent the last three seasons overseas, including a stint playing with Norfolk Captain Brodie Dupont.

The 33-year-old’s last multi-goal game was in the AHL with Adirondack on March 16, 2014. He logged 369 AHL games over seven seasons.

Dekanich gets out of skid
Mark Dekanich snapped an eight-game losing streak with 27 saves Friday. Despite the recent tough times, Reading had only supported him with 2.5 goals a game before the win. The Royals average 3.1 goals a game. Dekanich is 9-13-1-0 this season with a 3.07 goals against average and .908 save percentage.

Willows update
Matt Willows extended his career-long point streak to eight games with two goals in the victory against the Ads. Over the streak, Willows has five goals and 18 points. He earned Player of the Month in January, becoming the first Royal to win the monthly honor since Yannick Tifu in 2012-13. It was Willows’ first multi-goal game since Dec. 15 vs. Wheeling, coincidentally the last time Mark Dekanich had earned a win prior to last night.

The third-year professional Willows is in the league’s top-ten with 45 points. Prior to the streak, Willows wasn’t in the top-20. He also tops the Royals with 16 goals, one ahead of line mate Chris McCarthy.

Muse Goaltender of the Month, Willows Player of the Month.
The Royals received a pair of ECHL honors Friday; John Muse was tabbed Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month for January and Willows received CCM ECHL Player of the Month. It is the first time the Royals have had a pair of players sweep Player and Goaltender of the Month honors in the same month.

Willows is the third Royals player to receive Player of the Month and first since Yannick Tifu in Dec. 2012. Five Reading netminders have won Goaltender of the Month, most recently Riley Gill in March 2013.

Muse went 9-2-0-0 over 11 games this month, recording a 1.97 goals against average and .940 save percentage. The stretch included a five-game winning streak. Willows finished the month on a seven-game point streak and recorded three goals and 13 points.

Reading has taken two league-wide awards in the same month on four different occasions. Last time the feat happened was Dec. 2009 when Ben Gordon took home Player of the Month and ECHL Plus Performer of the Month. Gordon is now the Associate Head Coach of the USHL’s Chicago Steel, serving with Head Coach and Royals legend Ryan Cruthers.

Goaltender of the Month in Royals history
John Muse (Jan. 2018) 9-2-0-0 record, 1.97 GAA, .940 sv. %, 1 shutout
Riley Gill (Mar. 2013) 9-2-1-0 record, 1.24 GAA, .953 sv. %, 3 shutouts
Philipp Grubauer (Nov. 2012) 10-1-0-0 record, 2.13 GAA, .919 sv.%
Cody Rudkowsky (Nov. 2005) 6-1-0-0 record, 1.72 GAA, .943 sv.%, 1 shutout
Peter Hamerlik (Feb. 2004) 6-0-1-0 record, 1.42 GAA, .955 sv.%

Player of the Month in Royals history
Matt Willows (Jan. 2018), 3g, 13a, 16 pts., 1 GWG (+3 rating)
Yannick Tifu (Dec. 2012), 8g, 8a, 16 pts., 3 GWG (+7 rating)
Ben Gordon (Dec. 2009), 6g, 14a, 20 pts. (+9 rating)

Ftorek is set to coach his 13^th game against the Royals Saturday since making his Norfolk head coach debut against Reading Dec. 2, 2016. Ftorek stepped up as Head Coach halfway through the 2016-17 season after former head coach Rod Aldoff was dismissed with a 2-11-4-0 record. The Royals won back-to-back contests in Ftorek’s first games with the Admirals and Reading claimed a 6-4-1-0 season series edge in 2016-17.

Next time
The Royals and Admirals next meet in a back-to-back set to conclude the regular season series Apr. 6-7. Reading is at Norfolk Apr. 6.

Still searching
While Reading has made the Kelly Cup Playoffs in eight straight seasons, the Admirals are in danger of missing the postseason for their third straight season since returning to the ECHL. Norfolk has finished last in the division their first two ECHL campaigns. In 2015-16, Reading tied for second in the former “East Division” with 82 points while the Admirals claimed fifth with 65 points. Reformed divisions saw Norfolk jump to the South last season (58 points).

The Admirals qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs in their first seven AHL seasons (2000-08) and won the 2012 Calder Cup with Head Coach Jon Cooper, now the Tampa Bay Lightning’s bench boss.

Hockey N’ Heels and Princess Night on Fri., Feb 16 vs CIN at 7:00 p.m.
First 1,500 women will receive a pink knit hat, thanks to Sweet Street Desserts.